


Electric Stars

by Cocoa_N_Donuts



Series: All Around the World AU [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: All Around the World AU, Blackhill Week 2018, Day 1: Fake Dating, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 01:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13447848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cocoa_N_Donuts/pseuds/Cocoa_N_Donuts
Summary: Natasha sat up immediately to drink the look of Maria Hill in a gorgeous evening dress in. She took just a hair of a second longer than usual to answer in a husky affirmative. Taking her time to admire the smooth expanse of Maria’s back, she slowly zipped Maria up in the dress that beautifully matched Maria’s cobalt eyes perfectly.“See? What would you have done without me on this mission?”OR: Natasha has waited patiently by Maria's side for seven years, watching over her love. Maria needs a partner for an alien ball, and Natasha volunteers to be her plus one.





	Electric Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Is this even a fake dating piece? Probably not. Am I going to post it anyway because otherwise I’ll have nothing for Day 1? Yes. Yes I am. 
> 
> Just some context, this is the last piece of a canon-divergent series that I will be uploading over the course of Blackhill week. In this world, Maria was sent to collect the last Russian Princess as a rookie agent of SHIELD, and only found the Black Widow waiting for her. Nat has always been in love with Maria, but Maria didn’t think too much of it. Then this piece happens... 
> 
> Also, I apologise if there are any inaccuracies within this one (SHIELD probably hasn’t fallen or something, so Coulson and May are probably in charge? I dunno.) because I’m a Blackhill fan without being a Marvel fan, and I can barely remember some movies, did not watch the other movies, and I have no idea what canon is at this point in time. So bear with me if things don’t add up. Thank you for rolling with my weirdness. You all deserve a cookie. Go. Treat yourself.

_21 January 2018, Paris, France._

“I still can’t believe you came along for this boring drivel when you are so sorely needed in Istanbul.” Maria grabs the garment bag with her freshly laundered evening gown and heads into the hotel’s walk-in wardrobe.

Oh, how she wishes she could be in Istanbul on a field mission, guns blazing, kicking ass and enjoying the local street food… Instead, she was stuck in an overly posh hotel room with the prospect of more politics and ass kissing with expensive and overly pretentious food for the entire night.

“My, my, Assistant Director Maria Hill, shouldn’t you know my contract with SHIELD better than I do? You should know very well that Section 3, Clause M states that I am to be posted to any and every one of your outfield missions.”

Maria snorts, sticking her head out from the wardrobe, raises an eyebrow at Natasha, who elaborates.

“Fine. Do you know how long I’ve waited to pose as your significant other? How the Kryptonians managed to create a machine that detects love, I will never know, but I know that I’m the only one that you even remotely love platonically in SHIELD. As if I’ll pass this chance up for a mission in Istanbul.”

“You want to go to the gala that Coulson _and_ May are willing to sacrifice Istanbul in order to miss? You do know that we’re only here to both babysit the Kryptonian ambassador and make sure Earth’s diplomats don’t screw up intergalactic relations too bad, right?” Maria said.

There’s more shifting coming from the walk-in wardrobe, and Natasha squashes the urge to peek at the woman she had fallen in love with seven years ago _just_ a little, but Maria’s voice jolted her out of her perverted thoughts, “And I’m well aware of your most updated contract, Romanoff. I wrote it. I still don’t understand why you are still clinging on to me even after we’ve been friends and working together for seven years. If you’re still thankful of me for rescuing you in Rome, you’re welcome.”

“Oh come on,” Natasha snorted, lying down on the bed instead and traced the patterns on the ceiling with her fingers, “You were such a rookie in Rome, if I truly left everything to you, we’d already be mutilated bits of flesh six feet under.”

Maria tutted, “To be fair, I was briefed that it was a simple extraction mission. The fact that such a rookie found out that Hydra and Red Room were both after you, _and_ managed to keep them at bay on her first solo mission was already remarkable.”

“You do know that I’d taken out three Red Room assassins before we left that first alley, another two more Hydra agents near the hijacked car, and four near the Pantheon while you were busy looking around for threats, right?” Natasha countered.

“In fact, I did. Even though I was a _rookie,_ just like you said _._ ”

“Well, that’s why you are our favourite Assistant Director, Hill.”

Maria snorts so loudly Natasha was worried that she’d choked for a moment, “Ha! Say that to Ward. Did you know he told me that if Fury wanted some eye candy that he should have chosen you?”

Natasha turns to look towards the wardrobe so fast that her hair whips her own face with a startling amount of pain. “Is he dead? Please say no. I thought of a new torture method over the weekend and I _really_ want to try it on him.”

Maria steps out of the walk-in wardrobe, her blue evening gown a little loose around her shoulders, smiling and shaking her head, “You can definitely ask Coulson.”  Pausing right in front of Natasha, she hesitates but eventually puts her back to Natasha. “Nat? Could you help zip me up?”

Natasha sat up immediately to drink the look of Maria Hill in a gorgeous evening dress in. She took just a hair of a second longer than usual to answer in a husky affirmative. Taking her time to admire the smooth expanse of Maria’s back, she slowly zipped Maria up in the dress that beautifully matched Maria’s cobalt eyes perfectly.

“See? What _would_ you have done without me on this mission?”

Maria slugs her on the arm, but chuckles as Natasha begins getting ready while Maria does her hair and makeup.

* * *

They both dressed to kill— literally and metaphorically. Stark did a great job disguising Natasha’s bites as platinum jewelry, and Maria had two pistols strapped to her legs and hidden in the folds of the dress she wore.

Smiling at one another, they linked arms and stepped out of their room, out of the hotel they were put up in, and into the SHIELD assigned transport.

When they arrived at the destination, there was a metal detector-looking machine that all guests were supposed pass through. However, instead of having space only for one person at a time, the machine was able to quite comfortably accommodate quite a few people at once. Couples were passing through the machines, but quite a few of them were being taken out of the queue after the machine beeped a negative. The rejected couples were taken aside and spoken to by a few Kryptonian emissaries, then sent back to try the process once again. Most of them made it, but those who still failed were led away.  

Natasha and Maria were up next. The equivalent of a Kryptonian security guard approached them with the following information, “Now, ladies, just think about your partner and how much you love them for a second. The machine measures the amount of trust and love between the both of you, so when you’re ready, please step forth through the machine.”

The Kryptonians definitely had different ideas about security than those on Earth. Then again, Maria supposed, when the people within an enclosed space had at least one person they loved, they would be less likely to actually blow the place up.

Their turn was finally here, standing before the love detector machine. If this was a few years ago, Maria would have been worried. But now, staring into the greens of Natasha’s eyes, taking in the beauty of the woman who had devoted the last seven years of her life to watch over Maria, it was easy to feel the affection, the trust and camaraderie for the woman before her.

Natasha smiles, takes Maria’s hand to lead them through the machine. It beeped once and flashed green.

“Whoa! Sir! That’s the highest reading of the entire night so far.” The man working behind the machine chimed in, and the Kryptonian security guard beamed at them. “Welcome to the ball, ladies!”

Maria nodded at him politely, while Natasha chose to laugh and say teasingly, “Daw, babe, you _like_ me? That’s so embarrassing!”

“Stop quoting Parks and Recs at me!”

“Come on, play along!”

Maria sighed at her “girlfriend’s” antics, “We’re married.” she deadpans.

Natasha mocked gasped, “Are you proposing, now?”

The Kryptonians giggled at the display even as Maria shook her head exasperatedly, “You’re lucky I love you,” and tugged Natasha into the ballroom.

“Ow, ow, ow. That hurts! I want you to touch me _gently_ , Maria.” Nat complained.

“Really, Nat? Sailor Moon, now?” Maria cocked an eyebrow, but relaxes her grip on Nat’s forearm.

“Hey, SHIELD did give me some really good cultural recalibration. I have to put it to good use, don’t I?”

Amazingly, the evening went immaculately well. The food was abundant and amazing, the people were tolerable, and the Kryptonian emissary, apparently was the Princess of the Kryptonians. She found out from the security guards that Maria and Natasha had the highest score of mutual love and trust, and actually made it a point to congratulate them for their scores. The Princess was charming, surprisingly down to… earth, with just a twinge of goofiness bubbling under the surface.

No Earthling made too much of a disgrace of themselves, though a drunken man from London did manage to upturn an entire table full of desserts late in the night, and Maria almost _enjoyed_ herself, especially with Natasha’s presence. At one point when the Princess was complimenting them on what a good looking couple they were, Maria couldn’t help but to press a tender kiss to Natasha’s temple. To Natasha’s credit, she only looked surprised for a fraction of a second before she recovered enough to smile coyly and snuggle deeper into the taller woman’s side. The Princess cooed and insisted on taking a picture with them.

The event ended rather late, but just when Natasha was about to board the SHIELD chartered vehicle, Maria held onto her arm, a little hesitant smile on her face.

“Hey, Nat? I want to bring you to a place first before we head back to the hotel. Is that okay?”

Natasha’s smile was reassuring as she relaxed into Maria’s grip,  “Anywhere with you, Maria.”

* * *

They ended up buying some artisan baguettes at the stores that were miraculously still open at that time, and decided to take a leisurely meander along the Seine. After eating in silence for a bit, they finished their food, disposed of the garbage accordingly, then leaned on the railings to overlook the Parisian skyline, the Tour de Eiffel a lit monolith against the night sky.

“You know, Paris has one of the most beautiful cityscapes at night. I wonder why I never noticed this before.” Maria commented.

“I’m sure it’s the company that makes all the difference.” Natasha winks at Maria and she is infinitely endeared when Maria replies with a warm smile and even warmer eyes roving over Natasha.

Natasha notices Maria shivering a little in the chilly fall air, and Natasha immediately removes her own shawl to wrap it around Maria. Maria shoots her a grateful look.

Yet, there was something else-- something shuttered in Maria’s expression that bespoke of uneasiness and set off alarm bells ringing in Natasha’s head.

“Maria? What’s wrong?” Natasha asked..

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong at all. It’s just… Just know that this is the first time I’ve done anything like this in my life and so if I screw it up…”

Natasha only places a hand on Maria’s forearm, smiles encouragingly, “You know how I’ve felt about you all these years. There’s nothing you can tell me that would change my opinion about you. Unless you suddenly think that Xbox is the superior gaming console. Then I’m afraid it’s a deal breaker for me.”

Maria chuckles a little-- out of Natasha’s ridiculousness more than anything. Then she turns, and grabs Natasha by both her bare shoulders, sucks in a deep breath, and begins, “Nat, I know that I have been oblivious to your affections. Earlier in the game, when we just got to know one another, I thought you were merely clinging on to me and flirting just because the Black Widow wanted to get a rise out of me. I- I didn’t know you were sincere in your affections and only undermined and shrugged off your love just because it was easier for me to see you as a friend instead of being someone who loves me... and whom I can love in return.”

Natasha did not want to get her hopes up, but she was soaking in each and every word that came out of Maria’s mouth, memorising them, instinctively knowing that whichever way this would turn out, she would want to have these words deeply ingrained in her head.

“For that, I’m so, so sorry,” Maria continues, “I guess I only realised how real your love was only when you pushed me out of the way of that bullet in Mexico, and... everything that happened after. It was even worse that I couldn’t immediately return your affections. I thought that you wanted a friend— or I thought that you should have a friend that I sought to be, and... I totally disregarded what you truly needed.

“You’ve been so open with your love, even after everything that had happened to you in the past, and for four years, I simply treated it like a joke. Then I realised your love for me was... real and even then, I wasn’t in a headspace to allow myself to love me, other people, or even for other people to love me. I didn’t know how to love, how to _be_ loved.”

Maria’s voice choked up a little at that, but Natasha’s only response was to take Maria’s hand, and rub a soothing thumb over the back of Maria’s hand, waiting patiently for Maria to continue.

And continue, she did, “But you’ve showed me how to love and be loved though your endless patience for me, ever so respectful of the space I needed and so gracious with what I needed before I knew what I wanted, even while I sorted things out. And you have no idea how thankful I am that I had that, Nat.”

Maria shudders now with the nerves and not the cold.

“I’m rambling, but… what I meant to say, was…” Maria takes another deep breath, her piercing blue eyes glimmering with the electric stars that is Paris at night, “I’ve come to realise that you amaze me, Natasha. Every part of you amazes me. Your smile, your eyes, your patience, your sass, your ability to go in guns blazing and leave with only the most tender of expressions for me... I love them. I love them all. Most importantly... I love you.”

The last three words hung between them, stretching the silence between them like a black hole does reality, stretches it to its limits until it snaps. To Maria’s confusion, Natasha steps back, arms cradling her midriff as if to protect herself, finally finding the strength to say, “If this is a joke... or if I misunderstood your monologue entirely and you love me as only a friend, or that in any case, you _don’t_ want to be with me romantically, you have three seconds to step away and say so. Otherwise I am going over there, hugging you, and never, ever letting you go.”

Maria’s expression of confusion morphs to one of almost amused affection, and she lips curl upwards, “Are we really doing this? Nat, I love you. I’m absolutely in love with you romantically and if you’ll still have me, I want you to be my girlfriend... And I never, ever want to let go of you.” And Maria outstretches her arms, an open invitation for a hug.

Natasha lunges forward with what sounded suspiciously like a sob, and embraces Maria in the tightest hug that she has ever known. Face in her neck, Natasha grabs at every inch of Maria as she can, fingers gathering in Maria’s blue gown, pulling her impossibly, impossibly closer. The hug is chaste, but desperate, and the most intimate Maria had ever been with anyone.

Maria kisses the top of Nat’s head, “I’m sorry I took so long to come around. But hell if I’m not going to spend the rest of my days showering you in the love you deserve.”

Nat’s voice is hoarse and muffled from where her face is hiding in the crook of Maria’s neck. “Promise?”

Maria chuckles at the almost childlike tone of Natasha. “Promise. I’m sorry, but you’re going to be stuck with me for a long, long time… If you want to.”

“Stop apologising. Of course I want you.”

Maria couldn’t help but tease her girlfriend of three minutes, “...Sorry?”

Natasha huffs, dislodges her face from Maria’s neck, and tilts her face up. “From now on, I only accept apologies in kisses.”

Maria grins at her girlfriend’s pout, and meets Natasha’s lips happily.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: 4 things to note:  
> 1) I just borrowed Kryptonians because I needed an alien species that came in peace and I’m shit with pop culture. So just imagine one alien race that really loves love, okay?  
> 2) If anyone is living in Istanbul or Paris now, just know that I WILL happily visit your city one day and it will be magnificent.  
> 3) The dig on Xbox comes courtesy of my friend who is a big fan of Playstation. I haven’t owned or played with either enough to make an informed decision. So if you need to scream at me about that, I’ll be sure to pass along the message.
> 
> Do let me know what you think of this with some kudos or comments, eh?


End file.
